‘Brad Pitt’s smile and Jennifer Aniston’s eyes’: How SAG-AFTRA fought against AI with new deal
nypost.comended on Wednesday, Nov. 8. SAG-AFTRA won protections on a range of issues from pay to health benefits – but the most controversial issue was zombies.
SAG-AFTRA members were afraid that studios could use AI to “reanimate” actors who have died – or, to also create a “digital Frankenstein” using the body parts from real actors.
According to Variety, SAG-AFTRA did not get every AI restriction it was seeking. But it got most of it, including a requirement that if a “Frankenstein actor” cobbled together from AI has recognizable features taken from real actors, studios must get their permission.“If you’re using Brad Pitt’s smile and Jennifer Aniston’s eyes, both would have a right of consent,” the union’s chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, told the outlet.
According to the outlet, AI became the “dominant topic” of the 118-day strike in its final 10 days. The union also won a consent agreement, in the use of dead actors’ likeness.
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